A hybrid access (HA) network means connecting and binding different access networks for use by a same user. The hybrid access network can enable a user to experience use of a high-speed network. For example, two different types of access networks are a digital subscriber line (DSL) and Long Term Evolution (LTE). Currently, a possible manner of implementing HA is as follows: An operator-side network device and a user-side network device are bound by using a generic routing encapsulation (GRE) tunnel, to implement application of a hybrid access network. The operator-side network device may be a hybrid access aggregation point (HAAP), and is configured to bind and connect different access networks, to provide high-speed Internet access for a user. The user-side network device may be a home gateway (HG), and can allow simultaneous access of two different types of access networks, for example, can allow simultaneous access of a fixed broadband network and a mobile network.
In the prior art, in a hybrid access network, load sharing is implemented based on a token bucket. Two types of access networks, namely, a DSL and LTE, are used as an example. Two links between a HAAP and HG are considered as two tunnels, that is, a DSL tunnel and an LTE tunnel. A transmit end determines a color of a packet based on bandwidth of the DSL tunnel and bandwidth of the LTE tunnel by using a coloring mechanism, and determines, based on the color, whether to send the packet by using the DSL tunnel or the LTE tunnel.
As shown in FIG. 1, the transmit end maintains two token buckets: a DSL token bucket (shown in FIG. 1 by using leftward slashes) and an LTE token bucket (shown in FIG. 1 by using rightward slashes). Sizes of the two token buckets are determined based on the bandwidth of the DSL tunnel and the bandwidth of the LTE tunnel. A packet entering the DSL token bucket is marked in green (shown in FIG. 1 by using leftward slashes). A packet beyond a receiving capability of the DSL token bucket enters the LTE token bucket, and the data packet entering the LTE token bucket is marked in yellow (shown in FIG. 1 by using rightward slashes). Finally, a packet in green is sent by using the DSL tunnel, and a packet in yellow is sent by using the LTE tunnel.
Assuming that the bandwidth of the DSL tunnel and the bandwidth of the LTE tunnel are fixed, the foregoing token bucket-based load sharing mechanism cannot be used to adjust a load splitting proportion based on a dynamic change of the bandwidth of the DSL tunnel and the bandwidth of the LTE tunnel. When congestion occurs in the DSL tunnel, load is still injected into the DSL tunnel based on the fixed bandwidth of the DSL tunnel, and the LTE tunnel cannot be properly used by a user even though the LTE tunnel is idle. Consequently, not only a transmission error such as a packet loss is caused, but also system resource utilization is reduced to a large extent, and a hybrid access technology cannot be implemented.